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'By this point, all the roof had collapsed and there was little left of the bungalow. It was too risky to go inside. The whole building was on fire.'

Local Labour councillor Phil Riley, who lives next door to the property, said: 'The flames were raging. It was an inferno.

'The house was well ablaze and all that is left is a shell.

'Christopher had lived there for more than 35 years. He was a nice man, but he was deaf and a bit of a recluse.

'It is a very sad end to what was a long life.'

Another neighbour who saw the incident said: 'We could see the flames rising above the rooftops of the houses opposite.

'It was frightening. We were watching the drama from our window upstairs. We saw all the blue flashing lights and the red glow of the fire.'

Mr Proctor's burnt-out bungalow in Blackburn, where he lived for nearly 40 years, which was set fire to

Today police searched drains and raked through leaves looking for evidence. A post mortem has been carried out on the 88-year-old, although the cause of his death is not yet certain.

Det Supt Paul Withers, who is leading the investigation, said: 'Inquiries into the cause of this fire are continuing. I would appeal for anyone who has any information which may assist us in our inquiries to come forward and contact us.'

Watch manager Neil Carter, from Blackburn fire station, said: 'Initially we did not know whether the gentleman was inside the house or not.

'The intensity of the fire was too great for us to know a cause of the fire at this stage. The damage is extensive. We have been carrying out a methodical search of the property with forensic experts.'

An inquest into Mr Proctor’s death was opened and adjourned on Tuesday.

Police officers outside the home after they were called by the fire service shorty after 4am

During the court hearing hearing at the town’s magistrates in October 2004, the court heard how Mr Proctor agreed to help a 40-year old mother and her boyfriend, 44, after hearing her two young daughters had been taken away from them under a care order.

The old man covered his rear number car plate with a rag to try and avoid detection then drove them to Darwen and waited outside the carer’s house when the mother - who cannot be named - went to the front door.

The mother said she wanted to see the girls so she could give them presents but when the foster mother was distracted she took the girls from the house.

The foster mother then went outside and saw the two girls being bundled into a car parked down the road. She tried to intervene but the car was driven off by Mr Proctor.

Police were waiting for him when he got back to his home in Blackburn after dropping off the family - and he ended up in court.

The former teacher pleaded guilty to two charges of taking a child from a responsible person and was given a conditional discharge for six months and ordered to pay £50 costs.

Floral tributes outside the home of the retired college lecturer, aged 88 when he died

At the time his lawyer Andrew Church-Taylor said it was almost unbelievable that a man should be making his first appearance in court at the age of 80 having undertaken the role of 'getaway driver.'

Mr Church Taylor said: 'He certainly thought he would live out his retirement in the same blameless way he had led the rest of his life.

'He accepts he was made aware of what the couple were intending to do but he said it would have been difficult to extricate himself from the situation he was in.

'He hoped that seeing the children would calm the mother and she would desist from her plan to snatch them.

'Until now he has led a crime free life and it is a shame that at this late stage he should have this blemish on his record.'

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Three held on suspicion of murdering retired lecturer, 88, in bungalow fire